ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Children may be greatly affected by events that increase stress in individuals in general and are reported as the vulnerable groups during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. But most of the studies in the literature investigating the mental effects of the pandemic on children were conducted with healthy children and limited study has evaluated the effect on children diagnosed with COVID-19. The aim of this study is to determine the anxiety level in paediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and the affecting factors. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted with 292 children aged 8-18 years who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Questionnaire and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). Interviews were held by phone. RESULTS: Males were 51.4% of participants, the mean age was 16.04 ± 1.93. 84.1% of them had a chronic disease; the transmission source was family/relatives/friends for 41.1%. By social isolation, 49.3% were affected and 33.2% were affected by disease symptoms the most in this process. The most common symptoms were headache (61.6%), and asthenia (59.9%). Mean anxiety scale score was 25.5 ± 14.37. The effect of gender, number of symptoms and transmission source on anxiety score was significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Paediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were found to have high anxiety levels. It is recommended to re-evaluate the duration of children's social participation and support the management of COVID-19 symptoms that affect their anxiety level.
